Wiebke Arlt undertook her under- and postgraduate training in Medicine and Endocrinology at the Universities of Cologne and Würzburg, Germany. This was followed by postdoctoral training at the University of California at San Francisco, funded by the German Research Council (DFG).

After her return to Germany she joined the University of Birmingham in 2002, funded by a DFG Heisenberg Senior Fellowship. In 2004 she was awarded an MRC Senior Clinical Fellowship, followed by a personal chair in 2006 and the William Withering Chair of Medicine in 2014.

Her research has unraveled the genetic and functional basis of several monogenic disorders affecting androgen synthesis and metabolism.She leads a multi-disciplinary research comprising clinician scientists, molecular biologists, biochemists and computer scientist, focussing on the exploration of the steroid metabolome and its impact on human disease.

Wiebke has led the Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (CEDAM) since its creation in 2008 and now serves as the founding Director of the Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research (IMSR) at Birmingham. Her multiple national and international awards include the Society for Endocrinology UK Medal (2009) and Clinical Endocrinology Trust Lecture (2015), the EJE Prize (2009) and Clinical Endocrinology Trust Medal (2015) of the European Society of Endocrinology, and the Ernst Oppenheimer Award 2010 of the Endocrine Society USA.